The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story Read online

  She nodded. “Yeah. I’ll get him home.”

  “Take care of him,” the coach added.

  Alec shot an affectionate look in Ellie’s direction. “Don’t worry,” he said. “She always does.” Despite the recent tension, that was something he knew he could always count on. She would have his back if he ever needed it.

  * * * *

  A few hours later, Alec sat in Ellie’s basement watching the Rangers game from the previous night. She’d been awesome enough to record it for him, as he’d been busy at practice. Apart from the awkward car ride back to her place after his ejection from the game, things had grown more comfortable. Once they were in their familiar environment and hockey was unfolding on the big screen, it was as if the drama of earlier was forgotten.

  Lounging on the couch like this with her, he could almost overlook the past few weeks. It almost felt as if things were as they’d been before the fiasco with Jake had started to make him doubt his entire way of thinking. This is what he’d needed. Some uncomplicated time in front of the television with the girl next door who knew all of his secrets and never judged him by them. Now if only the referees would stop calling the game so biasedly, things would be perfect.

  “Come on,” he growled when one of the refs blew his whistle and signaled for a slashing penalty against Arron Asham. “He was going for the puck!”

  As Asham skated for the penalty box, Alec gave a frustrated growl and tossed his arm along the back of the couch in defeat. Ellie jumped at the sudden movement, drawing his attention to her. “What?” he asked. “You disagree?”

  She hesitated as if unsure she wished to share her opinion. Finally, she said, “Um…yes. It was totally slashing.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he turned his body so he could better face her. “No, it wasn’t.”

  “It was,” she argued. “It was a good call.”

  “You’re blind. He has a right to go for the puck.”

  “True. But he doesn’t have the right to slash. He’s a shady player, and you know it. He’s always getting in trouble for crap like that.”

  Alec’s eyes narrowed. She had a point. No matter what team he played for, Arron Asham had a tendency to find himself in the penalty box. He was struggling to come up with a retort when Ellie blurted out something completely unexpected.

  “Can you help me learn how to kiss?”

  He jumped back as if he’d been burnt. “What?” His voice was an octave higher than usual, causing him to cringe with embarrassment. Her request was just so sudden and unexpected. He’d been trying to ease back into normal territory, and she’d blindsided him with this.

  “I don’t really know what I’m doing…and you seem to be the expert. I just thought…” She shrugged, her eyes lowering shyly to her hands. “I thought maybe you’d practice with me…or teach me. Whatever.”

  “When?” he asked, voice sounding pained. He felt like a deer, trapped in the headlights of an oncoming car. He saw the danger as it raced toward him, but he was unable to get out of its path.

  She shrugged again before motioning to the television. “It’s almost intermission…”

  Intermission. She wanted to do this now. Panic welled within him. He knew he should tell her no. He knew he should stop things from getting any more abnormal between them, but the thought of kissing her was too enticing to let pass.

  He swallowed thickly before bobbing his head in agreement. Ignoring the rest of the period, he shifted closer to her on the couch and curved his arm around her waist, drawing her gently toward him. “Come here.”

  He leaned in, bringing his mouth closer and closer to hers. She wiggled in his arms and released a nervous breath against his lips that sent a tingle down his spine. “Close your eyes,” he instructed with a shaky laugh.

  She complied, fluttering her eyelashes closed as she tilted her chin up ever so slightly in invitation.

  With a little smile, he closed the remaining distance and brushed his lips lightly against hers. Just that simple contact sent the blood pumping in his veins; it sent his heart roaring with want.

  Ellie gave a soft, eager whimper. She became lax in his arms and melted against him, curving her body along his.

  “Don’t do that,” he growled into her mouth as he lifted both hands to brush her hair back from her face. He continued to kiss her ever so gently, his fingertips stroking along her jawline as he shifted her hair.

  “Don’t do what?” She whispered her reply between soft, slow kisses.

  “Don’t whimper like that.” He ran his thumb along her bottom lip. “Only make that sound if you’re looking for a full on make-out session. No guy can control himself after a sound like that.” He moved his thumb away from her lips before lowering his mouth to hers again.

  Ellie leaned into his kiss. Giving another soft whimper, she lifted a hand to the back of his neck to deepen it.

  She was toying with him. Alec knew without a doubt that Ellie had whimpered again on purpose. It was like she wanted him to lose control. Well, she was about to get her wish, because that sound had driven him over the edge. He gave a growl of arousal and slid his hands down her hips, so he could pull her closer. Her body was pressed tightly against his, and he could feel her breasts through her sweater. He teasingly bit at her lower lip before nudging her mouth open with his own. “Mmm, Ellie…”

  “Alec…”

  The sound of his name moaned from between her lips was almost as sensual as the feel of her nails grazing the back of his neck. He could not get enough of her. As his tongue dipped into her mouth to brush against hers, he debated slipping a hand underneath her sweater.

  “I swear this laundry multiplies in the basket!”

  At the sound of Mrs. Harper’s declaration as she trudged down the steps lugging a large laundry basket, Ellie and Alec simultaneously broke away from one another. Ellie brushed her fingers frantically through her disheveled hair while Alec rubbed at the lip gloss he could feel resting accusingly against his lips. They’d barely made themselves presentable by the time her mother descended into view.

  At the sight of them, she gave a sound of surprise. “What are you two doing here? I didn’t expect to see you. I thought there was a game tonight.”

  Visibly frazzled, Ellie gave a breathless laugh. “There was. Alec got ejected for starting a fight.”

  Cindy smirked and swung her gaze in his direction. “Did you at least win?”

  Alec laughed and returned her grin. “Of course I did. Knocked him on his ass.”

  “Thata boy.” With a wink, she disappeared into the laundry room.

  As soon as her mother was out of sight, Ellie turned to Alec with wide eyes that would have been comical had he not been so shaken up himself.

  He let out a nervous chuckle. “That was close. I would not want to explain to your mother why my tongue was halfway down your throat.”

  His best friend narrowed her eyes at him, obviously displeased with his description of their actions. Then she seemed to give in, because she simply shook her head. “Yeah,” she agreed. “That wouldn’t have been fun.”

  Glancing slyly in her direction, Alec tossed out his next comment before he could chicken out. “Next time, we make sure we’re somewhere with a locked door.”

  “Next time?” she asked with surprise.

  He shrugged. “Sure. I mean, that wasn’t bad, but…practice makes perfect, right?” He gazed down at her with amusement. “And you need a lot of practice.” Not wanting to push the situation, he quickly returned his attention to the television and turned up the volume.

  Ellie stared at him for a moment longer before settling in against his shoulder to watch the intermission report. The way she nuzzled in against him was a bit more intimate than their usual game time ritual.

  Alec couldn’t help but smile at this. Maybe, just maybe, he was winning her over after all.

  Chapter Ten

  “Class dismissed!” Petite Mrs. Butterman adjusted her glasses and waved a hand toward th
e door. “Don’t forget. Read chapter thirty-seven for tomorrow’s class. There just may be a pop quiz in the morning!”

  Alec grinned and shook his head as he gathered up his belongings. Good old Mrs. Butterman. Announcing a pop quiz before it happened negated the entire concept. It was no longer a pop quiz; it was just a quiz. No matter how many times he tried to explain that to his kindly old history teacher, the concept never sank in. Last time, she’d patted him on the head and told him he was so pretty.

  Rolling his eyes at the memory, Alec made his way over to where Matt was gathering up his belongings. “You coming or what?” he asked his friend.

  Matt’s face fell and his shoulders slumped as if in defeat. “Or what,” he answered. A cheeky grin flitted across his lips before disappearing to be replaced with a frown. “I’ve got lunch detention.”

  “Lunch detention?” Alec asked with a look of bewilderment. “Who gets lunch detention? I didn’t even know that was possible.” He grinned widely as he thoughtfully surveyed his friend. “What’d you do? Make out with Shannon in the janitor’s closet? Peek inside the girl’s locker room? Get caught stealing donuts from the cafeteria?”

  Matt rolled his eyes. “Nothing so fun.” He sighed and slung his backpack over one shoulder. “One of the freshmen on the team bet me I didn’t have the balls to fill Ms. Patterson’s desk with whipped cream.” He shrugged a shoulder. “I won the bet, but I got caught by Patterson while slipping out of the room.”

  Alec let out a loud guffaw. “You’re such an idiot! That’s why you don’t listen to freshmen, Matty. They’re troublemakers.”

  “We were freshmen once.”

  “Yeah,” Alec agreed. “And we were troublemakers.” He grinned. “Apparently, we never grew out of it.”

  “Ain’t that the truth!” Matt chuckled and held out a fist, which Alec immediately tapped with his own.

  As the two made their way into the hallway, Matt added, “How about we hang out after classes today? We could pick up some fast food somewhere and chill out at my place.”

  Alec bobbed his head in agreement. “I’ve got nothing going on tonight. That sounds good.” He shot his friend a teasing grin. “I’ll see you then, troublemaker. I’ll meet you in the student parking lot. I drove this morning. Got my car all fixed up.”

  “Sweet!” Matt gave a wave over his shoulder as he broke off in the direction of Ms. Patterson’s classroom.

  Alec veered toward the cafeteria. He pushed through the doors and started in the direction of the food lines. His jovial mood plummeted the instant his eyes fell on his usual table.

  Ellie sat chattering away with Jake Phillips. She was so involved in her conversation that she seemed oblivious to everything else around her.

  Scowling, Alec headed over to the lunch line and filled his tray with a quantity of food only a jock could get away with. After paying the lunch lady for his excessive lunch, he made his way almost territorially over to his usual spot. “So you’re eating with us now,” he directed at Jake with displeasure. He dropped his tray loudly to the table and scooted into the seat on Ellie’s left, glowering all the while.

  Jake gave a bright smile, as if he didn’t even realize his presence had not been well received. “Sure am. I want to spend as much time with Ellie as I can.” Grabbing Ellie’s hand, he tugged her forward and planted a firm kiss on her lips.

  She gave a delighted, tittering laugh. “I like spending time with you, too.”

  Alec growled under his breath and aggressively unwrapped one of his burgers. He stuffed it into his mouth and took a large, vicious bite. As he chewed, he pretended it was Jake’s perfect face he was grinding between his teeth.

  “Speaking of spending time together…” Jake reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out two laminated slips of paper. “I bought our prom tickets this afternoon. You’ll do the honor of attending me, won’t you?” He chuckled lightly. “I hope so. Otherwise, I look pretty foolish right now.”

  Ellie jolted in her seat, her mouth forming a little ‘O’ of surprise. “Oh…thank you. Of…of course I’ll be your date,” she said with flustered pleasure.

  Jake beamed, flashing a set of pearly white teeth. “You’ve just made me the luckiest boy at Noble High.”

  Alec rolled his eyes and took another angry bite of his burger. Even Jake’s teeth annoyed him. They were too perfect.

  As if to taunt Alec, Jake’s grin widened as he climbed to his feet. “I hate to cut this short, but I promised I’d help the prom committee select this year’s theme.” He scooped up the sandwich he had on his tray and took a bite. “I was told by Mrs. Evans that she demanded my handsome face be present.” He winked. “I think she’s trying to be my campaign manager for prom king.”

  At the mention of handsome faces, Alec self-consciously ran his fingers over the puckered flesh of his injured forehead. He knew he wasn’t bad to look at, and girls were always flirting with him, but he was no Jake Phillips. He would never have those perfect looks, the flawless attire. He was more appealing in a rugged, messy way.

  “Oh don’t worry, man,” Jake said nonchalantly after glancing in Alec’s direction. “I’m sure that will heal before picture time.” Seemingly oblivious to the glare this comment earned him, Jake bent down to give Ellie a one-armed hug. “I’ll catch you later, sweets.” Then with a whistle, he sauntered from the room.

  Alec’s glare followed him the entire way out of the cafeteria. Then he stared at the spot where Jake had disappeared, loathing every little thing about his fellow classmate. When he finally drew his attention back to Ellie, he found her head lowered over her phone. A giddy smile was plastered on her face as she read whatever text message she’d just received. “He just left the room,” he complained with a growl. “What could he possibly have to say to you?”

  She glanced up with an innocent expression. “How do you know it was from Jake?”

  “By that stupid, lovesick expression on your face,” he said dryly.

  “He was just telling me that he missed me already,” she informed him with a superior tone.

  “Bleck.” That being said, he lowered his head and fork over his helping of school macaroni and cheese.

  “You’ll help me prepare for prom, won’t you?”

  Alec flinched. He stayed still and silent for a moment before glancing up into her innocuous eyes. “Help you with what?” he asked warily.

  Ellie shrugged. “Oh…I don’t know. Whatever it is people do at proms. No doubt there’ll be more dancing, and we both know I never mastered that.” Shooting him a pleading look, she sweetly asked, “You’ll practice more dancing with me, right?” Her eyes lowered to the ticket in her hand. “Prom is two weeks away. I didn’t even think I was going. Now I’m going with the potential prom king. I really need your help, Alec. Please?”

  He let out a sigh and dropped his head to his hands. “Fine,” he said after a moment. “Fine. Okay.”

  She reached out and placed her hand on his forearm. “Thank you. You are totally awesome.”

  He lifted his head to look at her and grinned. “I sure am. I do believe you love me,” he teased.

  “I do.”

  His comment had been light and mocking, as had her reply, but the words hung between them like an accusation. It was only funny until they’d both had a moment to think on it. Now it was uncomfortable.

  “Yeah, well…” He spoke slowly, uncertainly. “Don’t forget it.” It was surely a thought that had been refusing to leave his mind ever since that fateful night at DeNuzio’s.

  * * * *

  “So let me hear it,” Matt declared. He pointed a french fry at Alec and gave his friend a pointed look. “Spill already. What’s got you in such a foul mood?”

  Alec blinked at him in surprise. “I don’t know what you’re…” He trailed off at the unconvinced looks on both of his companions’ faces.

  Kara, Matt’s younger sister by a year, pursed her lips at him. “Even I can tell something’s got you in a funk. Com
e on, Alec. Matty’s right. Spill.” She arched her brows at him as she swirled a fry in ketchup, then popped it into her mouth.

  Alec hesitated, but he’d known Matt for years. Kara, too. If he didn’t give them something, they’d gang up on him and badger him relentlessly until he caved anyway. “Jake is taking Ellie to the prom,” he said simply. Then, feeling silly, he gave a shrug as if he wasn’t really all that bothered by it.

  Matt’s expression turned to one of pity. “Aw, man. I’m sorry.”

  Keeping his eyes trained on his plate as if his food was the most interesting thing in the world, Alec shrugged again. “It is what it is.”

  The brother and sister exchanged a worried glance that had Alec’s hackles rising. “It’s not that big of a deal, okay? I just don’t…” Dodging the truth, he said, “I just don’t like her going with that preppy yahoo. I’ve seen the lack of manners his friends have where their dates are concerned.” With a little snort, he shoved his plate away a few inches as his appetite all but evaporated. “He’s going to do something ungentlemanly. I just know it. Then I’m going to feel obligated to kick his ass. It will end in a suspension from school, and I’ll have to spend a week at home with my father. It’s a drag all the way around.”

  “So just keep an eye on him at prom,” Matt suggested. “If he tries anything stupid, you can break it up before it becomes a real issue. Problem solved.”

  “Prom?” Alec asked with a derisive snort. “You think I’m wasting my time going to prom?” He shook his head at this. “I have no desire to go to prom. It’s just an excuse for the female population to force us into tuxes.”

  “I’m going to prom,” Matt countered.

  “Only because Shannon is demanding it,” Kara said with a tongue-in-cheek lilt to her voice. Her eyes swept to Alec. “I’m in agreement with you, though. Prom sucks.”